Digioia-Royer – 2013

Update 23.12.2014(21.12.2014)billn

DSC05339Tasted in Chambolle-Musigny with Michel Digioia, 30 October, 2014.

Domaine Digioia-Royer
Rue du Carré
21220 Chambolle-Musigny
Tel: +33 3 80 61 49 58+33 3 80 61 49 58

Michel on 2014:
“The volumes are ‘correct’, still below the levels of 2009, but I’m happy. There was, of-course some hail this year, but we lost only about 5%. We started on 17th September in the Chambolle-Musigny old-vines – they ripen first as there are less grapes. We finished in the Hautes Côtes. We bought some new vines in 2014 too, 0.34 hectares of Savigny villages – these vines are nicely exposed, but will need some work.”

Michel on 2013:
“The overall yields were much like 2011, i.e. a little lower than the average due to coulure. Much harder for whites; our Hautes Côtes de Nuits turned in 3 days – they became unrecognisable. The malos were a little slower and more variable than usual, the last one terminated in August. The (red) wines are much more ‘gourmand’ and concentrated than the 2011s.”

The wines…

A marathon tasting today, but some very good wines here: Michel very-much bucking the Chambolle bandwagon with some big, concentrated wines – not just 12s – I really remembered a little more delicacy here – but maybe that was just the vintages 08/09(?) that I last tasted from barrel. There is even a little crémant here, made with the assistance of Louis Picalmot.

2012s
Of-course all these wines are bottled. A collection of sturdy, dark-fruited reds that will all benefit (significantly) from cellaring and a little patience.

2012 Aligoté
Mainly 55 year-old vines, plus a little more planted in 2003, from the Chambolle sector. Elevage in tank for 6-8 months, bottling before harvest.
Fresh and high-toned – fruity, not savoury. Mouth-filling with a growing concentration – some power here. A big, though slightly herby wine.

2012 Bourgogne Chardonnay
From 0.2 ha of 40 year-old vines, elevaged with about 15% new oak.
Quite a weighty nose, though the palate is showing nice enough freshness and lots of length. It’s missing a little charm today, but there’s a reprise of mineral length that’s quite impressive.

2012 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
Half pinot, half gamay. Note, no PTG in 2013, because these grapes now go into the crémant
Really deep coulr.Great depth of aroma here and fine fruit to match. If the nose isn’t obviously gamay, the palate most obviously is with big grainy tannin. Lots of structure, but plenty of energy too and flavour too.

2012 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
A mix of tank and barrel elevage.
Quite deep aromas of dark fruit. Wow – this is big and structured – plenty of tannin here. A wine that lacks some charm today – certainly made in a style that says ‘wait’ and I’d assume for at least another couple of years.

2012 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
From a plot of 50 year-old vines – elevages in barrel.
Deeply coloured. This nose is a little reduced. Again, plenty of tannin – but more grippy than grainy – lots of flavour with plenty of freshness. Good wine and it seems better balanced than the BPN.

2012 Chambolle-Musigny
A blend of various parcels.
A round nose that seems tight but concentrated. Lots of flavour and concentration here. Velvet texture and a good expanse of dark-fruited flavour in the mid-palate and onwards into the finish.

2012 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
This from a single parcel of 82 year-old vines in Les Fremières.
A deep and concentrated aroma – also a little tightly-wound. There’s plenty of structure again but here the tannin is finer. A big wine with a little licorice flavour in the finish. Not quite brutal, but not far off…

2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Gruenchers
From ‘young vies’ – only 28 years-old.
Here is a very pretty nose – dark fruit again, but the first that I find generous and elegant. Round in the mouth with just a little grab of tannin but also fine depth of flavour too. Really a wine of super finesse – at least in this company. Excellent.

2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Groseilles
A parcel of 75 year-old vines.
The nose has a little width and hints at pretty fruit but it’s really rather tight. The palate offers the texture of velvet, fine velvet. Dark-flavoured with tons of depth. Very impressive wine.

2012 Nuits St.Georges Les Charmois
First vintage, chez Digioia-Royer, from these 35 year-old vines, was 2011.
A width of faintly herbed aroma. Another wine with plenty of structure and a little licorice in the flavours that leach from your gum. Good wine, but clearly very different wine to the others in the cellar. Shorter finishing after the Groseilles but nice enough flavour.

2013s
These wines are more open and pretty than their 2012 brethren, but clearly have less concentration – if not necessarily impact – there’s another (higher!) level of drinkability here today though. Most of these will probably be bottled around April 2013.

2013 Bourgogne Rosé
The only wine bottled.
A wide, faintly herbed nose – otherwise aromatically tight. the palate is much sweeter and friendlier than the nose – with good balance and quite good mid-palate intensity too. Tasty.

2013 Chambolle-Musigny
Faintly floral but then a little reduction becomes a lot of reduction in the glass. There isn’t the heft of the 2012 but this is certainly sweeter, prettier and even shows a little mineral accent – the same in the finish too. Should be very tasty.

2013 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Also a little reduction here – a wide nose but rather tight at the core. A little gas on the tongue, but like the last wine a lovely fruit with some sucrosité – it begs you to take another sip – okay then! A really lovely wine.

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Gruenchers
Faintly reduced, but there are pretty high tones too. Lovely freshness and sweetness and simply super persistence of flavour – this is an absolute beauty!

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Groseilles
No reduction here, rather a wide panorama of fine red fruit. Also panoramic in the mouth – super fruit that’s nicely sweet. There’s a slowly growing well of structure bringing plenty of tannin – but not too much. A faint salty tang in the finish too – Yum!

2013 Nuits St.Georges Les Charmois
A little reduction again. Also some gas on the tongue – but there’s just enough sweetness to balance the structure. Not easy to taste today, but I think this will be very fine.

And to finish, a couple of 2011s…

2011 Chambolle-Musigny
Here is a depth of almost textured aroma – a concentrate core with faint high tones. Versus the 2012, this is positively silky wine – well, almost! Plenty of structure and a good, mouth-watering line of flavour into the finish. Good!

2011 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Full, concentrated, dark fruit on the nose. Finer texture and super concentration with a fine burst of mid-palate flavour. Long finishing flavour – this is excellent – and the last drops of wine in the glass smell absolutely gorgeous!

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